Project Lifesaver can help bring loved ones home safely

Written by Press Staff Writer

July 19, 2012

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An Open House will be held July 25 in Ottawa County to familiarize area residents with “Project Lifesaver,” an electronic system for helping to locate people who may be lost and unable to find their way home.

The Project Lifesaver passive ID wristband is designed to help locate a person with dementia or developmental disabilities – individuals who may not ask for help or respond when being called.

The ID wristband includes a one-ounce battery-operated radio wrist transmitter that emits an automatic tracking signal every second, 24 hours a day. The signal can be tracked over several miles on the ground by members of the Ottawa County Sheriff’s Office or from the air by helicopter from Mercy St. Vincent Medical Center, UTMC and St. Rita’s Life Flight/Mobile Life.

Each wrist band has a unique radio frequency that enables the Project Lifesaver search team to positively locate and identify a person who has wandered away from home or a care facility using a specially designed radio receiver.

Search team members are trained how to approach a person with Alzheimer’s disease or a developmental disability, gain trust, and put him or her at ease for the trip home.

Using the Project Lifesaver technology, search teams have reduced the time it takes to locate a missing person from hours or even days to only minutes.

To learn more about Project Lifesaver, visit the Open House, which will be held July 25 from 3 to 7 p.m. at Ottawa County Board of Developmental Disabilities, 235 N. Toussaint Rd. South, Oak Harbor.

Those who are unable to attend the open house but would like more information may call Carolyne Gilchrist at 419-898-3679.

For more information about Project Lifesaver or to find a complete list of where the service is offered, visit http://projectlifesaver.org.